Was Diamond District Heist an Inside Job?

A source tonight said investigators are looking at the possibility of an inside job in their probe of a robbery at a Diamond District jewelry store. Investigators found that an employee of the store that was robbed with a criminal record also had some financial troubles, the source said.

The search for the men who committed the mid-afternoon gunpoint robbery continued Wednesday.

It happened around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Watch Standard jewelry store located on the eighth floor of 23 W. 47th St. Police said a man posing as a courier was buzzed into the store while a second man stood outside as a lookout.

“He had a white button down shirt with a dark tie. He walks up the stairs to the eighth floor and he had said he had two letters that had to be delivered,” said NYPD Deputy Chief William Aubry.

But once inside, investigators said he pulled a gun on four employees and demanded they empty the safe. That’s when the owner walked in and detectives said the suspect pistol-whipped him with the butt of the gun.

Police sources believe the duo then made their way down the building stairs and escaped into the crowd, CBS2’s Janelle Burrell reported.

Police locked down the area and later ordered people to evacuate. An Instagram video showed a SWAT team on a rooftop and workers evacuating nearby buildings under the watchful eye of police.

“They say there’s a robbery and the guys are loose,” said Diamond District worker Yankel Ablonsky. “Basically asked everyone to back up. They want to protect the civilians.”

Friedman said that he isn’t worried about his merchandise or his customers. Merchants in exchanges like his share the expense for security.

“If we have to show the color of a diamond, we all walk outside and trade right here in the front window,” Richard Winick, Manny Winick & Son, explained.
Dealers like Winick showed CBS2 diamond valued at several hundred thousand dollars. With the holiday season around the corner Winick and others say customers should not be deterred from shopping on 47th Street.

Police released surveillance images of the suspects. With millions in jewels on display, there are countless cameras in the area, including one operated by police just outside the building.